Hidden in Nature

Curriculum Area: English

Level: Level 2 of the New Zealand Curriculum
Year: Year 3
Strand Focus:

• Listening, Reading, and Viewing: Ideas (selects, forms and expresses ideas)
• Speaking, Writing and Presenting: Language features (uses vocabulary relevant to the topic)

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Lesson Duration: 50 Minutes

Class Size: 22 students

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Identify and understand key facts about an animal’s camouflage and survival features.
• Use specific information from a text to complete a structured research chart.

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Success Criteria

✅ I can name the animal I chose and where it lives.
✅ I can describe the animal’s habitat and how it helps it survive.
✅ I can explain what covers the animal and how that helps.
✅ I can identify what predators the animal has and how it protects itself.
✅ I can use the book “Camouflage” to find answers, write clearly, and share my ideas.

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Materials Needed

• Book: Camouflage by Andrew Gunn (teacher’s copy + a few student copies)
• Animal Research Charts (one per student, preferably A3 size)
• Pencils, erasers, coloured pencils
• Clipboards or mini-whiteboards (optional for working on the mat)

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Lesson Flow (50 minutes)

1. Introduction (Whole Class – 10 Minutes)

📚 Engage:

• Gather students on the mat with a copy of Camouflage by Andrew Gunn.
• Revisit the concept of camouflage—ask for some quick recall:
  “What does camouflage mean? Why might animals need it?”

🔍 Model Thinking:

• Choose one animal from the book (e.g. the chameleon). Model looking closely at the text and picture.
• Using a large visual version of the Animal Research Chart (on whiteboard/projector paper), think aloud and fill it in:
  • Habitat: Jungle trees
  • Covering: Scaly skin – colour changing
  • How it helps: Blends in with surroundings
  • Prey for: Birds, snakes
  • Protection: Camouflage + climbing
  • Country: Madagascar

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2. Independent Investigation (25 Minutes)

• Hand out Animal Research Charts to students.
• Provide several copies of the book for table groups and get students to pick one animal each from the book to research.

🎯 Task:

• Students explore their chosen animal and use the book to fill out their own chart.
• Encourage quiet partner talk—students who chose the same animal may work together.

🧩 Supportive resources:

• Printed vocabulary support sheets (with words like ‘habitat’, ‘predator’, etc.)
• Word bank on the board
• Teacher/TA roves and supports students as needed

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3. Sharing and Review (15 Minutes)

👥 Pair & Share (5 minutes):

• Partner up. Students take turns sharing one interesting fact from their chart.

📢 Whole-Class Gallery Walk / Stand Up Share (10 minutes):

• Invite 2–3 students to share their animal and one interesting feature.
• Peer feedback – “Turn and tell: what did you find interesting about someone else’s animal?”

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Differentiation Strategies

🧠 For Diverse Learners:

• Provide sentence scaffolds on a mini whiteboard (e.g., “The ______ lives in ______. It is covered in ______ which helps it _____.”)
• Pair ELL students with peers who are confident readers.
• Include visual cue cards for key vocabulary (e.g., “habitat” = forest icon, “prey” = cartoon predator, etc.)

🚀 For Extension / Advanced Learners:

• Invite students to write a short paragraph under their chart describing how their animal might survive in a totally different habitat (e.g., “What if a chameleon lived in the Arctic?”)
• Ask them to compare two animals from the book: "How are their camouflaging strategies similar or different?"

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Assessment Opportunities

✍️ Formative Observation during student work and sharing
📄 Student Research Chart as a product of learning
🗣 Oral Sharing shows understanding and articulation

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Cross-Curricular Links

🧬 Science: Living world – recognising that all living things have certain requirements so they can stay alive.
🗺 Social Sciences: Understanding that people and animals live in different parts of the world.

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Next Steps / Follow-Up Ideas

• Turn their research into a short presentation or mini-book.
• Create animal camouflage artwork based on their research.
• Use drama – students can act out their animal using movement and camouflage tactics.

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Teacher Tip 🧡: Stick the finished animal charts around the room to create a “Camouflage Wall of Fame". Visitors and whānau will love seeing the students’ discoveries!

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Let this be a celebration of curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity—skills at the heart of Level 2 English in the NZ Curriculum. 🦎🌿